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I. "AND THE SOLDIERS PLATTED A CROWN OF THORNS."
A. Jesus has evidently been delivered to the soldiers that they might make sport of Him.
1. Inasmuch as the charges against Him by the Jews was that He claimed to be the king of the Jews, they platted a crown of thorns to crown Him with. They braided a crown out of thorns.
2. We are prone to think, sick humor.
3. Think again, where did thorns originate?
a. Back in the Garden of Eden when man first sinned against the commandment of God, when God cursed the earth, He said, "Cursed is the ground, for your sake; in sorrow you shall eat of it, all the days of your life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth unto you."
b. Thorns came as the result of sin. They developed as a result of the curse because of man's sin.
c.
Gal. 3:13: "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us; for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth upon a tree."
d. Here He is ready to take the curse of sin for us, and He is wearing a crown of thorns that grow as a result of the curse for sin.
4. He had been brutally treated by the people about the high priest, now He has been scourged by Pilate, and as though that is not enough he is given to the soldiers to be humiliated.
5. No wonder the writer of the book of Hebrews declared, "Who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame."
B. They put on Him a purple robe, and said, "Hail, king of the Jews."
1. This being despised and rejected is also a fulfillment of prophecy.
PSA 22:6 But I [am] a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
ISA 49:7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, [and] his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, [and] the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.
ISA 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
2. The other gospels add to this story of abuse. Matthew tells us of His treatment before the high priest.
MAT 26:67 Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote [him] with the palms of their hands,
MAT 26:68 Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?
3. Matthew tells us of His mistreatment by the soldiers before Pilate.
MAT 27:28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
MAT 27:29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put [it] upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
MAT 27:30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
MAT 27:31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify [him].
II. "PILATE THEREFORE WENT FORTH AGAIN, AND SAITH UNTO THEM, BEHOLD, I BRING HIM FORTH TO YOU, THAT YE MAY KNOW THAT I FIND NO FAULT IN HIM."
JOH 19:6 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify [him], crucify [him]. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify [him]: for I find no fault in him.
2CO 5:21 For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
HEB 7:26 For such an high priest became us, [who is] holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
1PE 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1PE 2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
1PE 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
1JO 3:5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
A. Again, if justice was to be served, Jesus should have been released at this point, with no further argument.
B. Jesus now comes forth before the crowd wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe, and Pilate declared, "Behold the Man"
1. I think that Pilate honestly admired Jesus.
2. I don't think that he had ever met a prisoner with such dignity, and such strength.
3. I think that when he said, "Behold the Man" his words were filled with respect, and awe.
III. "WHEN THE CHIEF PRIESTS THEREFORE AND OFFICERS SAW HIM, THEY CRIED OUT, CRUCIFY HIM, CRUCIFY HIM."
A. They were thirsting for His blood.
1. I believe that Pilate was trying to satisfy their thirst for blood, by subjecting Him to the scourging, and then to the mocking and the buffeting by His soldiers. I think that he felt that at seeing the sight of Jesus in that bloodied condition would have satisfied them. Not so.
2. Here is where the prophecies of Isaiah come into play.
ISA 52:13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
ISA 52:14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
ISA 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
ISA 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
ISA 53:5 But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
ISA 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
ISA 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
3. Here He stands, face beaten to a pulp, crown of thorns upon His head, blood oozing through the purple robe from the open stripes on His back.
a. There is no whimpering, He stands there erect and strong, and Pilate says, "Behold the Man."
b. Their response is just, "Crucify Him."
4. Be careful of a self-righteous attitude that declares, "If I had been there, I would not have joined with the crowd, I would have stood up for Jesus."
a. I would like to think so, but I am not so sure.
b. I think of how many times we have let Him down in the time of pressure.
c. It is hard to stand against the mocking crowd.
B. Pilate asked them, "Take you Him and crucify Him for I find no fault in Him."
1. The longer Pilate allows this sham to continue, the stronger the opposing forces become.
2. His folly began when he tried to reason with the mob.
3. Mobs cannot reason, they only know brute force can overcome reason and good.
4. Psychologists have made studies of what they term mob psychology, and they have discovered that in a mob, people turn almost as savages, they will do things that they would never do on an isolated basis. They are as though they have been taken over by some evil power, and their cruelty and inhumanity defy reason.
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
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